And it is in the last month of spring that the names of the holders of two historic European cup trophies - the Champions Cup and the UEFA Cup - will be announced. By the way, we should not forget that Milan, led by our Andriy Shevchenko, is still fighting for the Champions Cup. So in May, football is undoubtedly number one on the sports menu.
AUSTRIA
On the last day of April - the 30th - the World Ice Hockey Championship in the elite division will start on Austrian soil. This year the world championship will truly be a forum for the strongest national teams on the planet. Gratitude for this should be expressed to the NHL bosses and the NHL players' union, who failed to find common ground in negotiations and disrupted the regular season in the strongest league in the world.
Not being tied to their North American clubs, which usually wage a fierce battle for the Stanley Cup in late April and early May, the best players will be able to arrive in their countries' national teams. It is expected that in terms of the level of opposition, the world championship will be one of the very best in recent decades. In such a situation, it is difficult to name the favorites of the tournament (16 participants in total). They could equally be the Russians, the Canadians with the Czechs, as well as the Finns and the Swedes. In short, the intensity is expected to be considerable.
The championship matches, in which the Ukrainian national team will also compete (in the same group as the Finns, Swedes, and Danes), will take place in two cities - Vienna and Innsbruck (in Innsbruck our team will play at least three matches). The first stage will end on May 5. The second will run until the 11th, and the decisive matches will take place on the 12th-15th. It is on the 15th that the world champion will be determined.
One day before the hockey final, a men's tennis tournament with a prize fund of €302,000 will begin in St. Pölten. The winner of the tournament, which will end on May 21, will receive €44,100.
ENGLAND
One English club will definitely play in the final of the football Champions League. This became known immediately after the draw for the semi-final pairs, in one of which Liverpool and Chelsea met. At the end of April the rivals will clash in London, and on May 3 they will come to Liverpool to dot all the i's.
But in the English football championship, the main question - who will be champion - is no longer relevant. London's Chelsea, after 50 years, will once again don the crown of the best club in England. Three rounds (the 36th - April 30 - May 1, the 37th - May 7-8, the 38th - May 14-15) will be a mere formality from the perspective of Roman Abramovich's team.
Meanwhile, other clubs are looking at the home stretch with a completely different mood: Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton, Liverpool, and Bolton are still fighting for three places in the Champions League. In this regard, the match between Bolton and Chelsea in the 36th round will be interesting. But, naturally, it will be far inferior in intensity to the 37th-round meeting between Arsenal and Liverpool. And to close, fans should be interested in the duel between Bolton and Everton in the 38th round.
GERMANY
Already on the first day of May, celebrations may begin in Munich over Bayern's next championship title. The Bavarians are significantly ahead of their pursuers, and if they win in the 31st round (April 30 - May 1) away to Kaiserslautern, they will guarantee themselves first place.
But, given the relationship between these two teams, it can be assumed that the Munich side will have to postpone the celebrations until the next round of the German championship (May 7-8), in which Bayern will travel to Mainz. In the remaining rounds (May 13-14 and May 20-21), the Bavarians will simply play out the remaining matches.
But the fight for second and third places in the standings, which will give their holders the right to compete in the Champions League next season, will only intensify. Schalke, Stuttgart, Hertha, and possibly Werder will be contesting them. And the team of Ukrainian Andriy Voronin (Bayer) will try to get into the UEFA Cup. Given the importance of matches involving these clubs, it is worth paying attention to a number of games. 31st round (April 30 - May 1): Schalke - Bayer, Werder - Arminia. 32nd round (May 7-8): Arminia - Schalke, Borussia D - Bayer. 33rd round (May 12-13): Schalke - Borussia D. 34th round (May 20-21): Stuttgart - Bayern.
One of the May rounds of the Formula-1 World Championship, the European Grand Prix, will take place at the German Nürburgring circuit. Its conclusion is scheduled for May 29 (on the 27th-28th, practice and qualifying sessions will be held).
Tennis life in Germany in May promises to be no less eventful than football. On May 2, the main draw of a very serious women's tournament with a prize fund of $1,300,000 will start in Berlin, last year's winner of which was Frenchwoman Amélie Mauresmo.
And a week later, an equally serious men's tennis tournament will begin in Hamburg with a prize fund of €2,082,500. The winner in singles will receive €340,000 (the loser in the first round - €6,350); last year the main prize went to Swiss Roger Federer.
And on May 15 in Düsseldorf, the eight strongest men's national teams on the planet will enter the fray, holding a team world championship. The tournament's prize fund is €1,850,000. Over the past two years, no one has been equal to the Chilean team.
HOLLAND
The city of Eindhoven, one of the most famous Dutch football centers, will become the object of heightened attention from all of Europe on May 4. The local club PSV Eindhoven will face Italy's Milan in the return leg of the Champions League semi-final, for which Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko plays. The winner will play in the final in Istanbul on May 25.
And already on May 5, the day after the battle between Eindhoven and Milan, all attention will be focused on the Dutch town of Alkmaar. The local club AZ, which defeated Donetsk Shakhtar in March, will test its strength in the return semi-final of the UEFA Cup against Spain's Villarreal, which this year defeated Kyiv Dynamo. So this turns out to be a meeting of two clubs that have become "favorites" in Ukraine.
The European Judo Championships will be held in the Dutch city of Rotterdam from 20 to 22 May.
SPAIN
Real Madrid is not giving up without a fight, despite the large gap in points between the Royal club and the leading Barcelona. Gradually, Vanderlei Luxemburgo's team have managed to reduce the deficit to Frank Rijkaard's charges, and talk of an intriguing title race has resumed in Spain. In any case, everything will be decided in May in an indirect duel. Barcelona's remaining fixture list is as follows: home - Albacete (1 May), Villarreal (22nd); away - Valencia (8th), Levante (15th), Real Sociedad (29th). Real's calendar looks like this: home - Racing (8th), Atletico (22nd); away - Real Sociedad (1 May), Sevilla (15th), Zaragoza (29th).
The Formula 1 World Championship will continue on 8 May at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. Traditionally, practice runs will take place on the 6th, qualifying on the 7th, and on the 8th the most interesting part begins - the fight for first place at the finish.
ITALY
The confrontation between the football giants of the Apennine Peninsula - Milan and Juventus - will continue into May. The two clubs, who have set their sights on winning the title, have given their rival no reason to relax all season. In the first round of May, the indirect contest will continue (Juventus will play Bologna, while Milan will play Fiorentina away). Its apotheosis will be the direct meeting of the contenders, which will take place on 8 May in Milan. Sunday 15 May will feature a different kind of match - another "ultra si" series match in Rome, a derby involving Roma and Lazio.
A week later, it is worth paying attention to the meeting of the contenders for third place - Sampdoria and Inter - in Genoa. In the last round of the Italian championship, the central match should be Udinese - Milan. It should not be forgotten that the Udinese are seriously fighting for the right to appear in European competitions next season.
Rome in May is expected to host not only the popular football derby, but also two major tennis tournaments. On 2 May the men will take the court, competing for a prize fund of €1,870,000 (the winner receives €340,000; last year it was Spain's Carlos Moya). A week later, the women will take over from the men. The fair sex will have a slightly smaller prize fund - $1,300,000.
The traditional multi-stage cycle race known as the Giro d'Italia will start on 7 May and last just over three weeks - until the 29th.
MOROCCO
A traditional women's tennis tournament will be held in the capital of the North African state - Rabat. The tournament will begin on 2 May and end on the 8th. Prize fund: $140,000.
MONACO
One of the most unforgettable rounds of the Formula 1 World Championship usually takes place on the streets of Monte Carlo. The Monaco Grand Prix this year will be held on 20-22 May (following the traditional format - practice, qualifying, race).
PORTUGAL
The final of the second most important European club tournament - the UEFA Cup - will be held in Lisbon. The match will take place on 18 May, and the participants could be either Russian CSKA, or Italian Parma and the winner of the pair AZ (Netherlands) - Villarreal (Spain).
RUSSIA
Moscow CSKA reached the semi-finals of European club competition for the first time in their history and have good chances of overcoming the Italian hurdle in the form of Parma. The fact is that the Italian club are in real trouble at home and could quite possibly finish the season in a lower division. Naturally, in such a situation the Parma players will not fight tooth and nail for the right to play in the UEFA Cup final. It is quite possible that on the evening of 5 May in Moscow, spectators will witness a historic event: the Russian army team will fight their way into the tournament final.
Basketball fans will be drawn to Moscow - a grand Final Four of the ULEB Euroleague is planned here, featuring the strongest men's clubs in the Old World. The main favourite of the tournament is Moscow CSKA, led by Serbian coach Dusan Ivkovic. The semi-final matches will be held on 6 May, with the final and the third-place match on the 8th.
TURKEY
Istanbul will host the debut women's tennis tournament added to the WTA calendar this year? - the Istanbul Cup. Prize fund: $200,000.
The final of the football Champions League will take place, as planned, in Istanbul on 25 May. In the decisive match for the right to be called the strongest club in the Old World, the winner of the English pair Chelsea - Liverpool will face the winner of the match Milan (Italy) - PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands).
FRANCE
As in England and Italy, in the French football championship the national champion may already be heading off on holiday at the beginning of May. The leader of French club football in recent years - Lyon - has looked more assured than the rest this season as well, confirming this with victories. It is not out of the question that even before the meeting with Ajaccio on 7 May, Paul Le Guen's team will have collected the number of points needed for the title. So let us keep an eye on the performances of the other teams in the leading group. And so, on 7 May Lille and PSG will play, on the 14th Auxerre and Marseille will meet, on the 21st there will be a match Marseille - Lyon, and on the 28th Auxerre and Lille will play.
But perhaps the main sporting event of May in France will be the country's Open tennis championship - well known as Roland Garros. The tournament's main draw starts on 23 May and the tournament will last two weeks. The prize fund is expected to be very substantial (alas, it was not known at the time the article was written). A sort of warm-up for the women before the big tournament will be a third-tier tournament in Strasbourg (16-22 May) with a prize fund of $170,000.
CZECH REPUBLIC
The premiere of a women's tennis tournament brought under the WTA umbrella this year will also take place in the Czech capital. Its name is the Prague Open. Prize fund: $140,000.